Today, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. Trump’s bruising, baffling, and bludgeoning journey to this moment left many with a sour taste in their mouths. He had an unprecedented journey–a billionaire with no political experience securing the highest office in the land. Along the way, Trump torched a litany of people, from his admonishing of Mexicans as “rapists” to his dismissal of the country’s intelligence organizations in their conclusion that Russia propped him up.

And so, as thousands hit the National Mall to cheer “Trump!” thousands more have stormed the nation’s capital to proclaim “not my president!” Law enforcement officials said they expect 63 protests around the city on Friday, with more to come, including the Woman’s March, on Saturday. Protesters camped out at checkpoints around the city on Friday morning. Some danced. Some walked arm in arm. And some smashed windows. But all had something to say.

Before the ceremony began, protesters with #DisruptJ20 streamed past police officers, some of whom tried to disperse the crowd with tear gas:

#BREAKING: Tear gas deployed towards anti-Trump protesters in Washington D.C #DisruptJ20 #TrumpProtest #Inauguration pic.twitter.com/EsphpsCoSl

— Kris Cruz (@rc_kris) January 20, 2017

Other protesters expressed their disapproval of Trump in a more aggressive manner. In the downtown sections of the city, some protesters, calling themselves “anti-fascist, anti-capitalist,” chucked bricks at windows–including this limousine:

Peaceful Protest #DisruptJ20 pic.twitter.com/WppLa815kv

— imwithMAGA (@imwithMAGA) January 20, 2017

Chaos ensued in other parts of the city, far away from the peaceful transfer of power on the steps of the U.S. Capitol:

BREAKING NEWS: Protests have turned violent, Riot police respond. #Inauguration pic.twitter.com/gTQLbDozhN

— TheAnonMessage (@TheAnonnMessage) January 20, 2017

One group of protesters even included a certain arctic-dwelling bear:

One of many roving protests at #TrumpInauguration outside checkpoint at US District Courthouse. #McPherson #DisruptJ20 pic.twitter.com/yoeHISzQOM

— DCMediaGroup (@DCMediaGroup) January 20, 2017

President Barack Obama, for one, added his voice to the of millions of others who wish to be heard today and tomorrow:

I won’t stop; I’ll be right there with you as a citizen, inspired by your voices of truth and justice, good humor, and love.

— President Obama (@POTUS44) January 20, 2017

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Protests have erupted in major cosmopolitan cities across America since Tuesday, when Donald Trump shocked the nation with his upset victory. Streams of people crammed the streets of Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Portland, Oregon, and Washington, D.C. over the weekend, many coalescing around Trump properties, chanting and holding signs, and some, clashing with police.

The most violent and contentious protests–deemed riots by the local police–occurred in Portland, Oregon on Saturday evening. People wearing Guy Fawkes masks–now a favored motif of the hacker group Anonymous–and others holding signs, many of which read “Not my President,” flooded the streets. According to media reports from the scene as well as reports from the Portland police, some protesters hurled road flares and rocks at riot police, who were equipped with shields and batons.

Seventy-one people were arrested in Portland. One man was shot at the Morrison Bridge and was later treated at a hospital. Portland police said two 18-year-old men were arrested and charged with attempted murder and unlawful use of a weapon in connection with the shooting. Protests elsewhere, many of which drew thousands of people, were largely peaceful, with people silently walking with encouraging signs preaching empathy for many of the groups that Trump mocked or targeted during his unusual campaign that upended political protocol yet still managed to hand him the White House.

Los Angeles stands with #NeverTrump & #calexit in an **INCREDIBLE** show of solidary on Wilshire Blvd#TrumpProtest pic.twitter.com/wAPa6ied6y

— #CalExit NaphiSoc (@NaphiSoc) November 13, 2016

The protests highlight one of the major fault lines of the bruising 2016 campaign: the disparate worlds of rural and urban America. Most major cosmopolitan cities–Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Washington, D.C.–and many mid-sized ones as well, went blue on Election Day. Smaller towns that are rural and mostly white went to Trump. His divisive rhetoric left deep scars for many who opposed his message and others belonging to groups that were consistently berated by Trump over the past year.

Those scars left a burning desire to protest since Trump’s message won out, and the “not my president” tagline can likely be applied to many liberal pockets on the coasts. But for others, a shred less than a majority of voters, as Hillary Clinton won the popular vote yet lost the Electoral College, Trump is the president they elected and the man they hope will live up to his ubiquitous campaign motto.

For his part, President-elect Trump, in an interview that aired on 60 Minutes Sunday night, said to those who were fearful of his time in office: “Don’t be afraid.”

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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All of the sudden, the streets in New York City were filled with chanting people while men and women in skyscrapers peeked down from their windows and tourists on buses snapped pictures. Wednesday night saw thousands of people in cities with largely Democratic populations take to the streets to protest the election of Donald Trump.

Masses of people protesting in Union Square in New York tonight.
Together, we are stronger. #LoveTrumpsHate #NotMyPresident pic.twitter.com/ubbGpBCAda

— PerfectWarrior (@SurvivorHealer) November 10, 2016

In Manhattan, estimates suggest that as many as 5,000 people worked their way uptown along Fifth Avenue and Broadway. At one point, the procession encountered a chain of police officers blocking Broadway going north, with speakers blaring out the message that the protesters were illegally blocking streets and would be arrested unless they moved onto the sidewalks. But no one listened–they just turned right and took the next street to move forward until they reached the Trump Tower.

Throughout the night there were no signs of violence or conflict, just people chanting “Not my president,” “My body, my choice,” and “Donald Trump, go away, racist, sexist, anti-gay.” Even some of the people who were stranded in their cars did not appear upset, but instead honked, cheered, and high-fived strangers through their car windows. The protests were massive, and all of the protestors united in their distrust and disapproval of a Trump presidency.

Protesting is democracy too. It shows those who feel marginalized that they are not alone. That’s important. #TrumpProtest

— Lana Huyen (@lanahuyen) November 10, 2016

The beautiful thing about Wednesday’s spontaneous demonstration was the diversity. More and more people joined from the sidewalks as they saw what was going on. People of all different skin colors, religions, and personalities. What they had in common was that most were young and all were disappointed with the election results.

According to preliminary exit poll numbers from CNN, Hillary Clinton won 54 percent of voters aged 18-29 on Tuesday night. But those margins indicate that she failed to spur young voters to turn out at a sufficient rate to win, a problem that she has had since the primary. In fact, in the primaries, her challenger Bernie Sanders earned nearly 30 percent more votes from Americans under the age of 30 than both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton combined. Many of those voters now feel hopeless.

The scene right now outside #TrumpTower. Never covered anything like this before @PIX11News pic.twitter.com/vy7q7bACTb

— Ayana Harry PIX11 (@AyanaHarry) November 10, 2016

Delivery truck driver (who couldn’t go anywhere if he tried) blowing his horn to cheering crowd, pumping fist pic.twitter.com/8IE9cKGHqe

— Steve Annear (@steveannear) November 10, 2016

CNN reports that similar protests went on in Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Seattle, Portland, Austin, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Oakland. Also on Wednesday evening, a candlelight vigil for Clinton supporters was held in front of the White House. Organizers said about 2,600 watched online as supporters called out, “you are not alone.”

Trump supporters and conservatives expressed disgust at the protests on social media, saying that Democrats don’t respect democracy and only protest if they don’t get their way.

You’re literally protesting against free democratic elections. Go live in North Korea, you absolute trash.#TrumpProtest

— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) November 10, 2016

But peaceful protesting and freedom of expression is also a part of democracy.

People aren’t upset about losing the election.

People are terrified for their safety and futures.

See the difference. #TrumpProtest

— Matthew Kick (@MatthewKick) November 10, 2016

This video shows just how many people were on the streets in Manhattan:

New York City protests against Donald Trump’s presidency. They haven’t stopped coming. pic.twitter.com/qwZlBe2i0L

— Phil McCausland (@PhilMcCausland_) November 10, 2016

Filmmaker Michael Moore happened to come across the demonstration in his cab and got out to join it. “We had all those big protests before the Iraq War and once the war started, everyone stopped protesting. […] This time, we keep it up and we don’t stop till he’s out of there,” he said to the Huffington post.

Michael Moore happened upon the protest tonight, calling for resistance and agitation. pic.twitter.com/LFiGaO1wfy

— Andy Campbell (@AndyBCampbell) November 10, 2016

Stay strong, people.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ‘Not My President’: Thousands Unite To Protest Trump Presidency appeared first on Law Street.

All across the country, students on college campuses protested the election results, which declared Donald Trump the next President of the United States.

Young voters (18-29 years old) voted 55 percent to 37 percent in favor of Democratic Candidate Hillary Clinton. But for voters 65 and over, Trump held the majority of the votes.

With numbers like those it is easy to see how many college students could be unhappy with the way the election went. Students around the country, including many on the West Coast (likely due to the time difference), poured into the streets crying, shouting, and marching against the president-elect.

Some students headed to the bars, while others headed to the streets.

Students could be heard screaming “F— Donald Trump,” as mobs marched arm in arm through campuses, trying to make some sort of sense out of what had happened. Here are a few examples of protests from college campuses around the country:

University of California, Santa Barbara:

UCSB and SBCC students marching to Storke Tower in a peaceful protest in regards to the election results. 11-9-2016/2:04 AM. #NotMyPresident pic.twitter.com/G3sF40bnQh

— Saitama (@heisenchapo) November 9, 2016

University of California, Berkeley:

“The people, United, will never be divided.” UC Berkeley anti-Trump protest at Telegraph and William Street, Oakland. #berkvote pic.twitter.com/4nKvcsLJHG

— Maya Eliahou (@MayaEliahou) November 9, 2016

University of California, Los Angeles:

Sorry that these are getting repetitive. This is a huge, growing group of students. #UCLA pic.twitter.com/dxfOp8QerY

— Tanner Walters (@tannerbwalters) November 9, 2016

These are all different UC’s reacting to the Presidential Election.The revolution has started. #ucsc #ucla #usb #ucd pic.twitter.com/Au4SPFN2DJ

— Wuendy (@whendcalm7) November 9, 2016

Berkeley High School, Berkeley, California:

BERKELEY HIGH SCHOOL WALKOUT #NotMyPresident #TrumpPresident pic.twitter.com/6HAv7jVAH4

— B (@BerenabasG) November 9, 2016

University of Pittsburgh:

UPitt riots part 2 pic.twitter.com/55s46LWf0K

— reilly (@reidaddy) November 9, 2016

Students at UPitt could be heard chanting, “No KKK no fascist USA! No Trump!” and “Whose streets?” “OUR streets!” Along with “Not my president!”

University of Oregon:

Students from the University of Oregon marched through Eugene to protest America’s new president #LifeAsAJStudent pic.twitter.com/kQU97Sdv2i

— phillip (@philllup) November 9, 2016

Students in Washington D.C. went to The White House to protest.

People in Obama and Clinton shirts link arms outside the White House. #ElectionNight pic.twitter.com/fBx6b7eYKB

— The GW Hatchet (@gwhatchet) November 9, 2016

Anti-Trump protestors outside the White House. #ElectionNight pic.twitter.com/vTokvFL6Qt

— The Hoya (@thehoya) November 9, 2016

At different universities, it has been reported that professors have cancelled exams and assignments Wednesday, after students expressed their grief over the outcome of the 2016 election.

Julia Bryant

Julia Bryant is an Editorial Senior Fellow at Law Street from Howard County, Maryland. She is a junior at the University of Maryland, College Park, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Economics. You can contact Julia at JBryant@LawStreetMedia.com.

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